


But, Maman, what a wicked smile you have!

by tinyace



Series: 30's Alternate Universe [3]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Backstory, Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 07:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3968884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyace/pseuds/tinyace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prequel to The Great Iron Sky, in which rising media tycoon Lilita Morgan adopts little orphan Carmilla.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But, Maman, what a wicked smile you have!

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings** : emotional manipulation (and general grey moral area)  
> Thanks to [Elli](http://ellianderjoy.tumblr.com) for editing and co-writing 30s AU! It has been a blast.

_28 February 1911_ \- There is a knock on Lilita’s office door and she calls for them to enter. William Eisen steps into the room and closes the door. 

“Am I late for my appointment?” he says with a slight grin. 

“Ah, Will, just in time! Come, sit. We have a lot to discuss.” 

He nods and sits down in front of her desk. “Before we begin, I have to applaud your efforts, Lilita. The numbers are through the roof this month. _Vadum Francorum_ is doing excellent business.”

A smile appears on her face. “That’s exactly what I wanted to discuss with you, William. You see, yesterday I talked to the distributor and we came to the conclusion _Vadum Francorum_ is ready to run on a national level.”

“National level?” William stammers out.

“Isn’t that wonderful news?” Lilita says. “We worked so incredibly hard to get this paper running and now it will be able to compete nationally.”

Her smile falters when she sees that William doesn’t seem to share her enthusiasm, but waits to let him speak.

He hesitates for a moment before saying, “Do you really think that’s the best way to go?”

“Well of course, it’s what we’ve worked towards for so long.”

“Lilita, the people already call you emotionless,” Will says carefully. “Expand your business and you’ll be doomed.”

Lilita slowly sits back in her chair. “What are you suggesting, William?”

“Settle,” he says. “Find a husband, and people will back off, you’ll see. That way you can still run your paper without the backlash.” 

She scoffs. “And let my life be led by a man in my _home_ as well? My private life is the only place not dominated by men, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Right now we are running well as a regional paper. Do you really want to throw all that success away by taking such a risk as a single woman?”

“It’s not like I haven’t thought about the image of me that is portrayed in the media, William,” Lilita says. “But women are held to higher standards than men, I will never be able to convince every misogynist in this bloody country.” 

“Yet, sadly that is what you’re up against, Lilita,” William says, gesturing helplessly. “You need to show somehow you are able to run a business while being an approachable human being.” 

“I’m not going to marry a man just for show,” Lilita says, tone almost disgusted and then pauses before saying, “I would prefer to adopt a child. Motherhood is a more powerful story to the media.”

Will stares at her for a moment before bursting out in laughter. 

“I’m serious.”

The words silence him, and he looks at her as if she’s going insane. “W-what?”

Lilita straightens in her chair and slowly says, articulating every word heavily, “I am going to adopt a child.” 

“This is a _child_ we are speaking of! You have to take care of them!” Will bursts out. “You can’t just adopt one so the media will stop calling you cold-hearted. You- you have to love them!” 

“William Eisen, are you accusing me of not knowing how to _love?_ " Lilita scoffs.

He falls silent. 

“Because I will have you know, I have known love my entire life. My parents raised me with much care and I’ve had my fair share of lovers. However, to run a business as big as mine you have to make sacrifices. That’s what I did and I’m happy with my choices.” 

Lilita lets the words hang in the air for a moment, she had sounded too harsh. Too emotional. She can’t let that happen again.

“Besides, it seems you have plenty of love to spare,” Lilita says in a bored tone as she lowers her gaze back to the papers on her desk.

Will’s face drains of colour, and he stammers, “W-what do you mean?” 

A wicked smile curls on her face as her gaze reaches his eyes again. “Don’t worry, William. We are friends, your secret is safe with me.” 

Will sits frozen for a second before recovering himself. “Know what game you are playing, Lilita. Know your place in it.”

“I wouldn’t be playing the game at all if I had followed the rules, I would be standing by the sideline watching.”

She stares him down with an utterly cold gaze. “You can leave my office now, Mr. Eisen.” 

\--

 _6 March 1911_ \- Will bursts into her office and slams the door shut. Lilita doesn’t even bother to look up from her work, she is used to people walking into her office like that. 

“You’re going national without my consent!?” he says holding up a paper. The headline announces excitedly that _Vadum Francorum_ will be distributed nationally starting in May this year.

“Oh, hello William,” Lilita finally meet his eyes. “Does a normal greeting no longer suffice?” 

“Stop side-stepping and answer my question!” he grits through his teeth. 

Lilita raises an eyebrow. “You answered your own question, I’m pretty sure you can read a headline on your own.” 

“So you just ignore my advice and go ahead with it behind my back?”

“Are you suggesting I have to take orders from you now? You’re my advisor, not my boss. I don’t need your consent to make a simple decision.”

“We talked about this. It could ruin our entire paper!”

“ _My_ entire paper. I founded _Vadum Francorum_ by myself and I shall lead it that way.” 

“You shall lead it to the ground!” Will says in a heated voice. “You are clever, Lilita, but the people of Germany don’t like that a woman leads a regional paper, but leading a _national_ paper? It’s unthinkable.”

“It’s unthinkable because it hasn’t happened before. I’m making history here, William. I’m not backing down now.”

William lets out a sigh to process everything she just said. “At least tell me you’re thinking about getting married.” 

Lilita gives him an irritated look. “We’ve been over this. I’m not marrying a man, but I will adopt a child instead.”

“What?” Will stammers unbelievable. “Y-you’re going to-”

“Adopt a child so the people of Germany know I have a heart, correct,” she finishes his sentence. 

“I’m not letting you go through with this,” Will says and points a finger at her. “I will make sure everyone knows about your sick plan!” 

“I’m adopting a child, I’m not molesting it,” she says in a sharp tone. “ _Your_ plan was exactly the same except for a child you planned to have me adopt a full-grown man.” 

William shakes his head. “No. It’s not the same. A child is dependent on you. They will need things that _you_ can’t give them in your position. Plus the environment you’re in is toxic for a child! The media watching their every move as they grow up. You have to back down, or I will make you.”

Lilita raises her eyebrow. “That’s interesting.” she reaches for her drawer, takes a few pictures out and throws them on her desk. “Take a look, William.” 

With a frightened look he comes closer to the table and picks up the pictures. She can see his face crumple as he flips through them. 

“You seem awfully close with your male _friend_ ,” Lilita breaks the silence. “Does your wife know?”

Tears sting in his eyes. “Did you follow me?”

Lilita ignores his question completely. “Do your children know?” 

“Did you _follow me?!_ ” William spits out angrily and slams the pictures on the table. 

“Now now, dear William, no need to be angry with me,” Lilita says. “I’m not the one who is cheating on his wife with a man.” 

“Yet here you are blackmailing me with that information,” Will says bitter. “How _utterly_ convenient for you.”

“Weren’t you _just_ planning to do the exact same thing to me? See, that’s why we co-operate so perfectly. We have the same dirty mind in this game,” Lilita says with a sly grin. “Only I move faster.” 

“No, I know when to back down and accept my loss,” William says.

“That suggests we were equal players in the first place,” Lilita says calmly. “But years of oppression and experience have taught me how to play this game. Yes, it’s dirty, but it’s what keeps you playing. I guess you don’t have quite the brains for... _delicacy_.” 

“At least I haven’t lost my brains all together,” he mutters. 

Lilita huffs. “Go home to your wife, William. Be the supportive parent to your children you ought to expect me to be.” 

He clenches his fist and walks toward the door. A grin appears on Lilita’s face, but before he can leave the office she speaks up again. “It goes without saying you are fired of course. You keep my secret safe, and I’ll keep yours.”

William looks over his shoulders as he grits through his teeth. “You have my word.”

\--

 _10 March 1911_ \- Lilita steps out of her car that is parked in front of the orphanage. She looks around with a distasteful expression, she never liked this part of the city. Nobody should live under these circumstances. She reminds herself to take a long bath when she gets home tonight, this air is most likely toxic one way or another. 

Two kids are playing on the stairs of the orphanage and they fall silent when they see Lilita approaching. She gives them a firm nod as she walks into the building. Maybe she should be a bit less cold towards the orphans, but then again she doesn’t want to come home with just any child. 

An adult woman immediately approaches her as she enters the room. “You must be Ms. Morgan! It’s an honour to receive you here.”

“Thank you, I’m honoured I am welcome here,” Lilita says as she shakes the woman’s hand. 

“But of course! Thanks to your position my dad finally approved of me getting a job I have wanted for the longest time. My youngest sister might be able to go to university one day.” 

“What a lovely premise, I’m sure she’ll make an excellent student,” Lilita says, sounding genuine. 

Their conversation is interrupted by a young boy who pulls at Lilita’s sleeve. 

“Hello Misses! Are you here for adopting?” the boy asks eagerly.

“Yes, I am, but I am a _Miss_ ,” Lilita says with a wry smile before turning her attention back to the lady. She doesn’t need a child who throws itself at the first thing they see, and most certainly not a child who speaks before it thinks. 

Lilita lets her eyes wander around the room, looking at the different orphans playing around. She almost regrets her decision of adopting a child, until she sees a girl that’s tucked into a corner reading a book.

“Who is that girl?” Lilita says and points at the little girl. Her wavy black curls fall down over her shoulders. The girl lets out a breath to get the fringe that is blocking her view out of her eye and continues to read, thoroughly engrossed in the book. 

“That’s Carmilla, she turned five last December” the woman replies. “However she is very shy. I have never seen her interact with the other kids.”

“Well of course not, she is obviously occupied with her reading,” Lilita says, not taking eyes of the girl.

“She can’t read yet, she isn’t old enough to go to public school and we don’t have the budget to hire someone to help her at this age,” the woman says and turns her eyes back to Carmilla who is eagerly absorbed in the book. “But she tries every day.” 

Her heart aches slightly at that last sentence and turns her attention back to the woman of the orphanage. “Could I talk to her?”

“Of course,” the woman says. “Take your time, Ms. Morgan.” 

She walks over to the corner and when Carmilla doesn’t acknowledges Lilita, she clears her throat. “Hello Carmilla, my name is Lilita Morgan, but you can call me Ms. Morgan.” 

“Hello Ms. Morgan,” the girl says politely, but doesn’t look up from the book. It makes Lilita wonder how many people she has been able to brush off like this. Obviously the formal tone is taught by the orphanage, probably in a harsh manner too, but Lilita can see Carmilla is curious, as she sneakily peeks over the edge to give a quick glance at the woman that had approached her so suddenly.

“Can I join you, Carmilla?”

The girl shrugs and Lilita takes it as the most welcoming sign Carmilla will ever give. Manners are not her strong suit yet, but Lilita will be able to help with that. She sits down next to her. It feels silly to sit on the ground next to a little orphan girl, but it’s the only way to get to know her better.

“How are you today?” she tries to spark a conversation.

“Very good, Ms. Morgan,” Carmilla says in the same meaningless formal tone, still not giving her any attention.

Lilita realizes she isn’t going to drop the formal act with her unless she is able to peak her interest. She looks over Carmilla’s shoulder to see what she’s trying to read.  
“Ah, Rotkäppchen by the Grimm brothers,” she says with a fond smile. “Do you know how the story goes?” 

This seems to grab her attention. Carmilla shakes her head and for the first time Lilita has approached her she really looks at her. “I like the pictures though.” 

Lilita gives the girl a surprised look, it’s one of the most told stories to children. The fact that the people at the orphanage didn’t bother to read it out loud, not even once, speaks volume to her. “You want me to read it to you?” 

She nods and hands the book over to Lilita. While she leaves through to the right page Carmilla presses her knees against her chest and wraps her arms around herself. 

“You shouldn’t make yourself so small,” Lilita comments. “You deserve to be seen.”

“I like being small,” Carmilla says with a smile as she rests her head on her knees.

“Very well then,” Lilita says and turns to the fairy tale, reading out loud. “Once upon a time there was a girl named Little Red Riding Hood…”

The story strikes a note of familiarity, reminding her of a long time ago, back when she was still a child and her dad would read her bedtime stories. Reading has always been a big hobby of hers, but she never realized how rewarding it was to read out loud to a child. She tries to make it as entertaining as possible for Carmilla, slipping more and more into character as she reads along. When Little Red Riding Hood has arrived at her grandmother’s cottage and questions the wolf, she remembers exactly how she had liked her father to tell the story when she was young.

“But, grandmother, what a horribly big mouth you have!” Lilita reads out loud and looks at Carmilla, before saying in a low grumbling voice. “All the better to _eat_ you with!”

Carmilla lets out a small giggle and pulls her knees even closer to her body. Lilita gives her a smile, glad that it worked. She continues reading and after the huntsman has freed Red Riding Hood and her grandma from the stomach of the wolf and the story ends, she closes the book and hands it back to Carmilla. 

“What did you think of the wolf?” Lilita asks her. 

“He is mean,” Carmilla says and then adds, “But smart.” 

“He is indeed,” she answers, ignoring the knot forming in her stomach. “They call that sly, or cunning.”

Carmilla looks at her with big eyes. “They have a word for that?”

“They have lots of words, and there are lots of languages. And _every_ word has a slightly different meaning in every language.” 

The glinstering in Carmilla’s eyes makes it seems like she is talking about magic instead of languages. Carmilla is just a child, but Lilita can tell she is bright, so incredibly bright. In a normal German school education she would never reach her full potential. Carmilla deserves so much more. So much better. 

“Carmilla, you know that in the orphanage sometimes adults come in and ask a child to come live with them?”

She nods. “Yes. Most are very scary.”

Lilita lets out a small laugh. “I bet they are.”

Carmilla shrugs. “They never see me in this corner.” 

She swallows and gives her a good look. “Would you like to come live with me?” she asks her. “I have a big house and even more books. I can make sure you get a proper education and can read all the books.”

“All the books?” Carmilla asks with a gasp.

“Hmhm.” 

“So you’re going to be my new mother?”

“I could, if you want that?”

Carmilla nods. “Yes, Ms. Morgan.”

Lilita gives her a smile, her formal tone is back, but this time it sounds genuine. “You know, in French they call a mother ‘Maman’.” 

“Maman,” Carmilla repeats softly to herself and turns her eyes back to Lilita. “Can I call you that?”

Her eyes soften. “I’d be honoured if you would.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Keep reading The Great Iron Sky](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3176514/chapters/6900096) (or click the series button!).


End file.
